Look what we did this Summer at REF

We may not have been in the office every day, but our grants were at work this summer! We were pleased to support grants at the elementary level and the high school level.

Radnor Summer Reading Camp

This summer, Radnor Township School District hosted a Summer Reading Camp for select students in all grades. The program provided the opportunity for students to continue building on what they learned during the 2016-17 school year and better prepare them for the upcoming year.

Students in the camp celebrated all they learned with a celebratory trip to Children’s Book World in Haverford, funded by the Radnor Educational Foundation. Students earned “book bucks” for each day they attended camp with a bonus if they had perfect attendance. After selecting books with the book bucks, students topped it off with a stop at Yapple Yogurt for a final treat.

We are so pleased to see the success of this program for students. The funds for this grant were $4,500.

Radnor High School Courtyard Renovation

REF is happy to provide partial funding through a student advised grant to the Radnor High School Student Council to renovate the school’s current courtyard into a safe and modernized outdoor space for all students to learn and socialize while appreciating nature. With support from faculty advisor Kathy Pearsall, Student Council members worked closely with teacher Craig Leister’s Civil Engineering class to develop the proposed renovation plans. The renovation plans recommended repurposing part of the existing greenhouse into a seating area with counters, benches and a charging station; the addition of an outdoor, WiFi-equipped classroom space; new furniture under the existing canopy and in other spaces where students could gather and eat lunch.

This student advised grant involved renovating the courtyard at RHS to be a more useful, multi-purpose area. The grant was begun in the 2016-2017 school year . The renovation was designed by RHS civil engineering and architecture students with additional work being done by student council members. The RHS administration and building maintenance crew were supportive in getting everything installed for the start of the school year.

We loved to see the students that proposed this grant work with fellow students to raise their own funds and work with administration to complete the project. It is sure to be enjoyed by the whole student body at the High School for years to come.